Cardiff, its namesake castle pictured here, is working to make public transportation easier for travelers with a new smartcard system.
Public transit systems around the world are increasingly adopting smartcard systems, as they allow passengers to avoid the hassle of paying regularly for tickets with cash or credit, while also increasing the security of purchases by providing a contactless, pre-paid plastic card to use when paying fares.
According to the Echo, Cardiff Bus will be releasing a new smartcard system on its buses. When the program commences, application forms will be sent to every household in the Cardiff area and placed in buses.
Currently, Cardiff Bus carries approximately 100,000 passengers daily. City officials hope the new plastic card can do for bus transit what London's Oyster card did for the city's subway system.
The mass transit smartcards in Cardiff will be made available for free to anyone who applies for the service. Officials hope to increase the overall convenience and efficiency of the city's transportation system with the wide-spread deployment of the plastic cards.
Newport Bus has aimed criticism at its neighbor in Cardiff for not developing the new cards as part of a regional transit scheme, allowing passengers from various locations throughout Wales to travel from one city to another on one card. Cardiff Bus, however, wants to see how the plastic card system works close to home first, before considering regional deployment.
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